Steam-actuated valve



5 Sheets-'Sheet 1 Y (No Model.)

W. K. MILLER, 4 STEAM AGTUATED VALVE.

No'. 287,845.- Patented Nov.. 64, 1883.

VL nv-llm- (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' W. K. MILLER. STEAM AGTUATBD VALVE.

5 Sheets-Sheet 3.

.(No Model.)

y W. K.' MILLER.

STEAM AGTUATED VALVE..

Patented Nov. 6, 1883.

WIT/VESSES (No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 4;

W. K. MILLER'. STEAM AGTUATED VALVE...

Patented NOV. 6, 1883.

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" WIM/5655s 5. t e e h S t .TJ e e h s D E E L I M K W anlu. A d .0 M 0m,

STEAM AGTUATBD VALVE. l

Patented Nov. 6, 1883'.

l w/ ssfs WILLIAM x. MILLER, or oANToN, curo.

STEAM-ACTU i PATENT OFFICE.y

ATED VALVE- SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters' Patent No. 287,845,dated November 6, 1883,

Application filed September 11, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom rit may concern,.- y

Be it known that I, WILLI-AM' K. MILLER, of Canton, inthecounty of Starkand State of Ohio, have invented certain new yand useful Improvements inSteam-Actuated Valves'for Pumping and other Engines; and l do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention,- such as' will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to an improvement in steam-actuated valves forsteam pumping and other engines.

The object of my. invention is to provide an engine of such constructionand arrangement of valve mechanism that the main valvefor supplying andregulating the admission of steam to the main .cylinder shall beactuated and governed by an auxiliary valve connected with the mainpiston in such a manner as to be shifted at the extreme ends of thestroke of the main piston, and thereby avoid all centersor dead-pointsand permit of the operation of the engine at any desired rate of speed,fast or slow, without lchanging they Yposition of the main valve untilthe piston has nearly completed its stroke. f

A further object ofV my invention is to impart an axial movement to anauxiliary valve by means of devices connected with the main piston andextending into said valve,whereby the actuating mechanism is whollyprotected from view and exposure, a stuffing-boxV dispensedfwith, andthe actuating mechanism of the valve kept thoroughly lubricated.

With these ends in view my invention consists, first, in thecombination, with a stea1n` actuated main valve, of a non-reciprocatingauxiliary valve for governing and regulating the supply of steam toactuate the main valve, and devices connecting the main steam-piston andauxiliary valve and adapted to impart -an axialmovement to the latter attheends ofv the-stroke of the main piston.

My invention further consists in the combination, with the engine-pistonand auxiliary valve, of a rod connected with the piston and 'extendinginto the valve, and devices for im- `parting an axial movement to saidvalveatthe ends of the stroke of thepiston.l

' similar view of the auxiliary valve.

f' features of improvement, as -will be hereinafter explained, andpointed out in the claims.

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is the main valve. Fig. 11shows the interior of the auxiliary valve-seat. Fig. 12 is alongitudinal section of the main valve, and Fig. 13 is a modification. j

` A represents the steam-cylinder of a pumping-engine. B is'thesteam-piston, and C is the fplunger. These parts may be of any approvedned to pumping-engines, but is susceptible of use with `other forms ortypes of steam-engines..

Steam-ports a a are located at one end of cylinder A, the port asupplying steam to the Vunder side of-` piston B, while steam issupplied yto the upper side through port or opening a. To the upper endof the cylinder is secured the head D, which is provided withsteampassages b b', registering, respectively, with the ports a a.Cylinder-head D is constructed with two valve-chests, E and F, which arepreferably east in a single piece with the cylinder-head. E is the mainvalve-chest, and is valve, and, is of the type known asa pistonvalve. lIt is provided with two throughV Myinvention further consists in certainoth er e a view in side elevation of a steam pumping:v engine having myyinvention embodied therein..YV Fig. 2 is a view partly in verticalsection andv vpartly in side elevation. Fig. 3 ,is a transverse oopenings 'or steam-passages, d', through-` view, showing the port forsupplying steam to Y construction, the improvement not being conprovidednear its central portionwith themain i steam-port c c', through whichsteam is con G is theV main IOO which steam is conveyed to thesteam-ports c c', and with a central steam pocket or recess, e, ofsufficient length to overlap the exhaustport c2, and either one of theports c or c', to permit of the exhaust from the opposite ends of thesteam cylinder. Steam is supplied through the pipe H, connected with thetop of the auxiliary valvc-chest, and flows through the steam-passage g,leading from the upper end of the auxiliary valve-chest,to the central`portion of the main valve-chest, and from thence flows through eitherone of the steampassages d d in thevalve, according to the position ofthe latter end, and from thence,by the ports and passages described,tothe steam-cylinder, and actuates' the piston. Main valve G is providedat one end with the valvestem f, which is provided with alongitudinalgroove, g', in which engages a` feather or spline, g", on the head G ofthe cap G2, the latter extending outwardly a sufficient distance fromthe one end of the valve-chest to afford room for the movement of thestem. The groove and spline prevent axial movement of the valve, andthereby insure the proper relation between its steam-passages and theports in the valvechest. The opposite end of the main valve is providedwith a stem, f, which extends through the stuiiing-box j2 in the cap f3,and is provided at its outer end with a knob, f, to enable the valve .tobe readily shifted by hand to reverse the engine, if desired, at anyportion of its stroke. I will now proceed to describe the devicesemployed for automatically supplying steam to the opposite ends of themain valve, for shifting it at at each end of the stroke of the mainpiston of the engine.

I is an auxiliary valve of the construction known as a cup-valve,7 andis seated in the auxiliary valve-chest F. This valve is hollow, and isprovided at its upper end with a plug, 1', which prevents the entranceof steam at its upper end. The periphery of valve I is provided,preferably near its lower end,with the side recesses, j j, and centralrecess, ji. The valve-chestF is provided with two steamports, k k',which communicate by steam-passagesll with the opposite ends of the mainvalve-chest E, and with a central exhaust-port, m, which communicates bya steam-passage, m', with the main. exhaust c4; Valve-chest F is alsoprovided with a steam-passage, M, which extends from the top of thevalve toa point opposite the ports k k m, where it is provided withlateral steam-passages u n. A portion of the steam entering the upperend of the valve-chest F flows into the steam passage or groove M, andserves to force the auxiliary; valve snugly against its seat. Byimparting an axial movement to the auxiliary valve, steam will iow fromthe passage or groove M through the side recess j in the periphery ofthe valve, and from thence into the port k and through the steam-passageZ into the space at one end of the main valve, while steam exhauststhrough the steam-passage Z, port k', exhaust-recess jz in the valve,exhaust-port m gages a feather or spline, o', on the cylinder head,whereby the rod is free to reciprocate with the main piston, but isretained against rotary movement. The upper end of the rod N is providedwith a cross-head, P, the wings -p p of which are provided withoppositely-inclined faces q q', which engage the inclined faces r r ofthe cams Q Q at opposite ends on the interior of the auxiliary valve.Cam-surfaces Q Q are connected by the ribs QJ, to prevent the valve fromrotary displacement. By reason of the fact that the cams Q Q are locatedwithin the opposite ends of the valve, the latter is not shifted untilthe main piston has reached nearly the end of its stroke,when thecross-head will engage the cam and quickly and positively shift thevalve by imparting to it partial rotary movement, which operates toinstantly shift the main valve by opening an exhaust for the escape ofsteam from one of its ends and supplying livesteam to its oppositeend,to move the valve lengthwise, and thus exhaust steam from one sideof the main piston and supply live steam to the opposite side thereofand force it through its return-stroke.

The wearing-surfaces of the cross-head and cams for actuating theauxiliary valve are kept constantly lubricated by means of the leakageof steam from the engine-cylinder through the groove o of the rod N andinto the interior of the valve. The periphery of the auxiliary valve isalso kept lubricated bythe passage of steam through the longitudinalgroove in its valve-seat. This valve is retained on its seat by reasonof the differential areas of its ends, the area of the upper end beingsufficiently greater than the lower to preserve a preponderance ofpressure downward on the valve, whereby the lower end of the latterserves as a valve to prevent the escape of live steam past the valve andinto the engine-cylinder; hence the auxiliary valve serves the twofoldpurpose of regulating the supply of steam to the main valve and also toclose the opening to the engine-cylinder, and thereby obviate theemployment of a stuffing-box around the rod N.

From the foregoing description it will be observed that the entire valvemechanism is located within the cylinder and cylinder-head, and isarranged in a very compact form; further, that the main valve isautomatically and instantly shifted at the ends of the stroke of theengine-piston, and thus dead-points are obviated and any desired rate ofspeed obtained without affecting the operation of the IOO IIO

valve mechanism, which is kept constantly might employ eam-grooves andarrange the lubricated by oil conveyed thereto by the steam, and thefriction of the parts reduced, owing to the dispensing with astuffing-box around the valve-operating rod. l

It is evident that many slight changes in the construction and relativearrangement of the different parts of my improvement might be rey sortedto without departing from the spirit of my invention. Instead of camprojections on the inner periphery of the auxiliary valve, I

cross-head to engage therewith. Again, instead of having the lengthwisegroove or passage M formed in the auxiliary valve-chest, it might beformed in the periphery ofthe valve and connect with lateral grooves orpassages in the lower portion of the valve-chest. Again, the main valvemay consist of two pistons attached to a common rod, the pistonsprovidedwith suitable packing, and an independentvalve located betweenthe pistons and connected with the rod by a yoke or other suitabledevices, so as` to have independent vertical adjustment and be retainedagainst transverse groove, into which is received the its seat bysteam-pressure; or it may be constructed in the manner illustrated inFig. ,13, the pistons being formed at the opposite ends yof a singlecylinder having a center recess, s, with atransverse driving-bar, s',cast integral therewith. rIhe valve Sis made separate from the cylinder,and provided on its back with a driving-bar, whereby the independentvalve is firmly connected with the cylinder, and is reciprocatedtherewith, andY yet has a free and independent vertical movement.-Again, instead of providing the auxiliary valve with cams-surfaces atits opposite ends and a single cross-head to engage therewith to rotatethe valve, the latter may have oppositely-inclined cam-surfaces at itscentral portion, and the .rod provided with two cross-heads located onopposite sides of the cam-surfaces, so that at the termination of 'thestroke' ofY the piston in one direction one of the cross-heads willengage the cam-surface and rotate the valve in' one direction, while atthe termination of the stroke of the piston inthe opposite direction theother cross-head will engage the other cam! surface and rotate the valvein the opposite direction;` hence I would `have it understood that I donot restrict myself to the exact construction andarrangement of partsshown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, 'isy l. The combination, with a steam-actuatedmain valve and a non-reciprocating auxiliary valve, of devicesconnecting the engine-pisi ton and auxiliary valve and adapted to im`part an axial movement to the latter at, the ends of the stroke of themain piston, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination,with ay steam-actuated main valveand an auxiliaryvalve, of a rod vnesses.

connected with the engine-piston and extended into the auxiliary valve,and devices for imparting an axial movement to said valve, substantiallyas set forth.

3. The combination, with an auxiliary valve constructed withcam-surfaces on its interior,

` of a rod connected with the engine-piston, and

provided with a cross-head arranged to engage withV said cam-surfacesand impart an axial movement to theauxil-iary valve, subn stantially asset forth.

, 4. `Ihe combination,with an auxiliary valve Y chamber andengine-cylinder, substantially as set forth.

- 7. The combination,with an auxiliary valve and valvechamber havinginlet and exhaust ports located at one side thereof for regulating thesupply of steam to and its exhaust from a steam-actuated main valve, ofa steam-supf ply passage located at the opposite side of thel auxiliaryval-ve and valve-chamber, and provided with branch passages, the partsbeing constructed and arranged to cause the auxiliary valve to be forcedsnugly against its seat by steam-pressure', substantially as set forth.

. 8. The combination,with an auxiliary valve IOO provided with interiorcam-surfaces at its opg posite ends, of a grooved rod connected with theenginepiston at one end, and provided at its opposite end with across-head that engages the cam-surfaces on the interior of theauxiliary valve, and a feather or spline forpre- IIO venting therotation of the rod, substantially l as setforth.

V9. The combination, with the mainvalve l provided with a g-rooved stem,of an extended closed cap provided with a feather or spline forreceiving the stem and retaining the valve against rotary movement,substantially as set forth; A

10. The combination,with a steam-actuated main valve and an auxiliaryvalve, of a main steam-supply port leading from one end of the auxiliaryvalve chest or chamber to the central portion of the main valve chest orchamber, substantially as set forth. y

In testimony whereof Ihave signed this sp ecication in the presence oftwo subscribing wit.-

' 'WILLiAM x. MILLER.

vVitnesses:

GEORGE l.` DowNING, S. G. NOTTINGHAM.

